British Literature - 18th Century: Websites

Web Resources

There are many excellent websites that provide access to primary resources pertaining to England in the 18th Century. Some are listed below. If searching for additional sites on Google, be sure to note the author/sponsor of the site and see if it is a credible source. For more tips on evaluating websites, see the following guide:

British History Online
"British History Online is the digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles." Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust. For 18th Century, collections includes records of proceedings in Parliament, higher clergy, office holders in central government and the Survey of London.

British Library Images Online
"Instant access to thousands of the greatest images from the British Library's collections which include manuscripts, rare books, musical texts and maps spanning almost 3000 years. The range of images available include illustrations, drawings, paintings and photographs of topics pertaining to all areas of British history and culture.

Dying Speeches & Bloody Murders: Crime Broadsides
Collected by the Harvard Law School Library, digitized images of 500 broadsides spanning the years 1707 to 1891 "include accounts of executions for such crimes as arson, assault, counterfeiting, horse stealing, murder, rape, robbery, and treason. Many of the broadsides vividly describe the results of sentences handed down at London's central criminal court, the Old Bailey."

Proceedings of the Old Bailey Online (1674-1913)
"A fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court."